Red Sox: From Beloved Losers to Unheralded Winners

Back in Boston, Massachusetts, I bet the Beantowners are all filed up in the sports bars. They're having a great time watching this year's 2008 ALDS matchup, which pits the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim against the Boston Red Sox for the third time in this decade. Be it the Fenway area, North End, or South End pubs, there's a certain feeling in the air.

Whether those bar-goers are college students busy "studying" the exciting on-going game, or the Financial District workers who just finished their late shift at work, the Red Sox playoff action is like no other tragedy-turned-success story in all of sports.

Up until 2004, it seemed like the only certainty for Sox fans was heartbreak. When victory seemed almost possible, the impossible occurred. And, when heartache was expected in terms of the final score or series outcome, it was more like a death blow dealt to the soul of every player and fan.

Losing never looked more theatrical or so popular. I won't name all those events, as even non-Boston fans know those glorious chokes in our history.

But, the Red Sox winning twice in this decade? Cam Neely better lace up his skates and get back onto the ice and Michael Jordan ought to reconsider retirement—again.

Fast forward to 2008. Now, we're going to talk about these Boston Red Sox. Yeah, the team that has won two World Series in an era when it seems like teams can be just one instant away from evolving from pretender status into contender esteem.

The buzz for the Sox fans is different than it was before 2004. We now expect our hometown baseball team to win a World Series every year—in much the same way that we regard the New England Patriots as automatic Super Bowl champs every NFL season.

This 2008 ALDS against the Los Angeles organization—which has been unquestionably the best team all year, next to the Tampa Bay Rays—is bound to be an exciting and close series.

Unlike in the previous series of '04 and of last year, it seems that both teams are equal on paper. Although, the Halos won all but one contest in the nine games that these two teams played have against each other.

You might be wondering, has NASCAR Rob lost his mind? Is it an equal series?

I'll leave it to the Halos' fans to defend their team. But here's why Red Sox Nation should definitely feel confident in their team in this series.

There's an old adage that "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Well, in the case of the Red Sox, it's more like, "Whenever the roster is shuffled or a key player is dealt to another team, the team is able to plug away."

Unlike their pre-2004 selves, though, they still win.

It's like each player is interchangeable and even without a true marquee player, aside from Mike Lowell and David Ortiz, the cast and crew of this team are determined and united, while still getting those victories.

Jason Bay has brought in a much needed positivity to the Red Sox clubhouse, as there's no more talk about "Manny Being Manny," or an average player trying to boost the team's morale with slang that bemuses the Boston crowd. Bay's brought power when the team seems short on it. More importantly, he produces when the Sox are seemingly lifeless.

This is a team that just wants to go out there and win. It doesn't matter who scores the deciding run, or who deals the ultimate strikeout for the W. The offense is not a home run derby machine on a consistent basis, but with Bay, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Ortiz on the lineup, opposing pitchers better respect these batters at the plate.

And the pitching? It may not be the lights-out staff or bullpen of years past, but when you have Jonathan Papelbon, who can still close out games and get the job done at least nine out of 10 times, or Hideki Okajima, who's been exceeding expectations in Boston for the past two years, well, it's truly something else.

The series may go down to five or six games—it won't be a distinct runaway from the start. But, as I saw in the world of NASCAR with regular season points leader Kyle Busch's struggles in the playoffs, and with the old adage of change in mind, I'm seeing red.

It looks like Boston will advance, but not without some gusty, valiant, plays and efforts by the entire Angels team, who won't always be the usher to the ALCS.